Load carriers attached to vehicle hitches are well known and widely used to transport various loads such as bicycles, camping gear, sports equipment and various cargoes. Carriers of this type are conventional and have a hitch bar in front that attaches to the hitch and a load carrying component attached to the rear of the hitch bar for supporting a load. Commonly, the load carrying component folds upward for compactness when not carrying a load. One example of such a carrier is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,240,816 (application Ser. No. 10/945,386), incorporated herein by reference.
A common complaint about hitch carriers of current designs is that their heavy weight makes the carriers difficult to handle, lift, and install on a hitch. The major structural components are usually steel, and hitch carriers commonly weigh 50 pounds and upward. Hitch carriers presently in use require lifting of the complete carrier to align the hitch bar for installation on the hitch. The front mounted hitch bar offsets the lifting point center of gravity, making lifting awkward and difficult. Protruding hardware and parts can cause injury to persons as they handle the carrier to install, remove, and store it. Some carriers are assembled as modules during installation on the hitch as a way to manage the overall weight problem.
Storage is a problem with hitch carriers of current design when they are removed for periods of non-use. Often additional purchases are required to neatly and safely store hitch carriers. The task of storing requires lifting and handling.
Yet another problematic area for brick and mortar retailers is point of purchase displays. Usually a separate, immobile specialty display stand is required. The hitch carrier must be carried to the vehicle for pre-purchase fit checking and product demonstrations.
Examples may be found of hitch mounted load carriers and mobility stands that are provided with wheels. Nevertheless, further improvement is desired.
More particularly, examples may be found of bike carriers that fold so as to be very compact and that have integrated wheels used to roll the carrier from place to place. Nevertheless, the entire carrier must be lifted to install it on a hitch. Moreover, the wheels do not help display the rack unfolded.
It is known to provide a wheeled specialty stand used to roll bike racks from place to place and to display a bike rack. Nevertheless, a rack must first be removed from the stand and then fully lifted to install it on a vehicle. Additionally, in a typical case, the stand is supported on four swiveled caster wheels that must be manually locked to immobilize the stand.
Examples may be found of cargo carriers with wheels mounted under a basket of the cargo carrier for rolling the carrier from place to place. In this example, as with all of the examples cited, the user must lift the entire carrier to align and install the carrier on the hitch.